Nowhere in Africa (2001)
…………………………………………………
Nowhere in Africa Movie Review
Nowhere in Africa is a 2001 German historical drama film directed by Caroline Link. It’s one surprisingly good Oscar winner.
………………………………………………….
“Tolerance doesn’t mean that everyone is the same.
That’d be stupid. What I’ve learned here is
how valuable differences are.
Differences are good.
And intelligent people will never hold it against you“
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
It follows the life in Kenya of a German-Jewish family that emigrated there in 1938 to escape persecution in Nazi Germany. I found this movie overblown per usual in runtime and scope, but for the most part it is better than the majority of similar epics as it really is both personal and epic.
By personal I mean that it also focuses on the characterization. I found the two acting performances to be both excellent, and the characters themselves fully realized and grounded in reality. To me, the movie was at its best when it dealt with their problematic relationship, and failing marriage. Those conversations where they examined their relationship were the most powerful.
In terms of the more epic side, the movie is also successful as it’s a different kind of World War II story by focusing on the Jews who emigrated to Africa. That is an interesting angle to a regular historical war drama and I mostly really liked it.
I would have liked to have seen even more drama and themes in it, but it does showcase potently that even the Jews were racist toward Africans which was evident in a couple of really well done sequences. They portrayed so well how difficult it is adjusting to a new country and culture, and how ignorant and annoying white people were back in the day.
Nowhere in Africa is also technically quite strong with solid cinematography at display and some memorable African scenery too. I personally wanted much more from the Africans and their point of view, but for the most part the African continent is so well portrayed here, and their culture as well.
…………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………..
I found the score also solid, and the dialogue is terrific throughout, but the characterization of the supporting characters left a lot to be desired. It’s uneven in quality as some scenes work better than others, but overall it’s a solid foreign Oscar winner that needs more praise for what it does right in my opinion.
Nowhere in Africa is uneven in quality and long, but this is actually a surprisingly strong historical drama which gives us a different kind of WWII story that was quite interesting while also dealing with the central tumultuous marriage really potently. The dialogue and emotional investment are the highlights along with the acting and the characterization of the main duo.
